Three-dimensional chess

Abstract

A three-dimensional chess game which is played on a four by four by four cubic chessboard. The boards are arranged so that the light and dark squares alternate in the vertical direction, which makes the three-dimensional play more analogous to two-dimensional chess. The game is played with two standard sixteen piece per side chess sets. The game starts with the pieces arranged on diametrically opposite edges of the cubic game board, with the white playing pieces arranged in the first two rows of the bottom two levels and the black playing pieces arranged in the last two rows of the top two levels. The playing pieces are assigned unique movements which are three-dimensional extensions analogous to their movements in two-dimensional chess. The rook is assigned a special movement having three modes, a horizontal mode, a frontal mode, and a side mode. The rook may move in one direction in any of three orthogonal directions when it is in any of the three modes. The rook is also allowed to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions in a specified order, within the horizontal, frontal or side plane corresponding to the mode it is in. The rook is defined as being in the horizontal mode at the beginning of a game, and when the rook moves in one direction only, the rook changes mode to the mode corresponding to the horizontal, frontal or side plane perpendicular to the direction in which it moves.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method of playing three-dimensional chess, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a three-dimensional chessboard having a plurality of levels, each of said levels being divided into a grid of squares, each of said squares being colored with one of two different colors, said two different colors alternating between adjacent squares in each of said levels, said three-dimensional chessboard defined as having a top level, a bottom level, a left side, a right side, a front, and a back, said three-dimensional chessboard further defined as having a plurality of horizontal planes which coincide with said a plurality of levels, a plurality of side planes which are parallel with the sides of said three-dimensional chessboard, and a plurality of frontal planes which are parallel with the front of said three-dimensional chessboard,   (b) providing two sets of chess pieces arranged on said chessboard, each of said sets of chess pieces comprising at least a king, a queen, a rook, a bishop, a knight, and a pawn,   (c) defining the movement of said rook as having three modes, a horizontal mode, a frontal mode, and a side mode; allowing said rook to move in one direction in any of the three orthogonal lines, top to bottom, side to side, or front to back, which intersect at the square occupied by said rook when said rook is in any of said three modes; allowing said rook to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, including a move toward the right or left, and a move toward the front or back, when said rook is in said horizontal mode; allowing said rook to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, including a move toward the right or left, and a move toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said frontal mode; and allowing said rook to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, including a move toward the front or back, and a move toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said side mode.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1, wherein said rook is defined as being in said horizontal mode at the beginning of a game, and wherein when said rook moves in one direction only, said rook changes mode to the mode corresponding to the horizontal, frontal or side plane perpendicular to the direction in which said rook moves. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1, wherein said rook is allowed to move first toward the right or left, then toward the front or back, when said rook is in said horizontal mode, and said rook is allowed to move first toward the right or left, then toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said frontal mode, and said rook is allowed to move first toward the front or back, then toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said side mode. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: (d) defining the movement of said bishop as allowing said bishop to move diagonally in the horizontal plane or the frontal plane or the side plane which said bishop occupies.   
     
     
       5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of: (e) defining the movement of said queen as allowing said queen to make any move that would be allowed for a rook as defined in step (c) or any move that would be allowed for a bishop as defined in step (d).   
     
     
       6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: (f) defining the movement of said king as allowing said king to move to any adjacent square or any diagonally adjacent square in the horizontal plane or the frontal plane which said king occupies.   
     
     
       7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: (g) defining the movement of said knight to allow said knight to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, first one square in a non diagonal vertical or horizontal direction, then two squares in a non vertical direction perpendicular to the direction in which said knight first moved.   
     
     
       8. The method of claim 7, wherein the movement of said knight is further defined as allowing an optional third sequential move of two squares in a non vertical direction perpendicular to the directions of the first two sequential moves. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: (h) defining the movement of said pawn to allow said pawn to move either on the same level as said pawn occupies or to move between levels, and further defining that when said pawn moves on the same level said pawn moves forward one square, and when said pawn moves between levels said pawn moves backward one square and one level upward or downward.   
     
     
       10. A method of playing three-dimensional chess, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a cubic chessboard having four levels, each of said levels being divided into a grid of four by four squares, each of said squares being colored with one of two different colors, said two different colors alternating between adjacent squares in each of said levels and said two different colors alternating between adjacent squares in a vertical direction, said cubic chessboard defined as having a top level, a bottom level, a left side, a right side, a front, and a back, said cubic chessboard further defined as having four horizontal planes which coincide with said four levels, four side planes which are parallel with the sides of said cubic chessboard, and four frontal planes which are parallel with the front of said cubic chessboard,   (b) providing two sets of chess pieces arranged on said chessboard, each of said sets of chess pieces comprising at least a king, a queen, a rook, a bishop, a knight, and a pawn,   (c) defining the movement of said rook as having three modes, a horizontal mode, a frontal mode, and a side mode; allowing said rook to move in one direction in any of the three orthogonal lines, top to bottom, side to side, or front to back, which intersect at the square occupied by said rook when said rook is in any of said three modes; allowing said rook to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, including a move toward the right or left, and a move toward the front or back, when said rook is in said horizontal mode; allowing said rook to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, including a move toward the right or left, and a move toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said frontal mode; and allowing said rook to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, including a move toward the front or back, and a move toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said side mode.   
     
     
       11. The method of claim 10, wherein said rook is defined as being in said horizontal mode at the beginning of a game, and wherein when said rook moves in one direction only, said rook changes mode to the mode corresponding to the horizontal, frontal or side plane perpendicular to the direction in which said rook moves. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim 10, wherein said rook is allowed to move first toward the right or left, then toward the front or back, when said rook is in said horizontal mode, and said rook is allowed to move first toward the right or left, then toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said frontal mode, and said rook is allowed to move first toward the front or back, then toward the top or bottom, when said rook is in said side mode. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: (d) defining the movement of said bishop as allowing said bishop to move diagonally in the horizontal plane or the frontal plane or the side plane which said bishop occupies.   
     
     
       14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: (e) defining the movement of said queen as allowing said queen to make any move that would be allowed for a rook as defined in step (c) or any move that would be allowed for a bishop as defined in step (d).   
     
     
       15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: (f) defining the movement of said king as allowing said king to move to any adjacent square or any diagonally adjacent square in the horizontal plane or the frontal plane which said king occupies.   
     
     
       16. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: (g) defining the movement of said knight to allow said knight to move sequentially in two orthogonal directions, first one square in a non diagonal vertical or horizontal direction, then two squares in a non vertical direction perpendicular to the direction in which said knight first moved.   
     
     
       17. The method of claim 16, wherein the movement of said knight is further defined as allowing an optional third sequential move of two squares in a non vertical direction perpendicular to the directions of the first two sequential moves. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: (h) defining the movement of said pawn to allow said pawn to move either on the same level as said pawn occupies or to move between levels, and further defining that when said pawn moves on the same level said pawn moves forward one square, and when said pawn moves between levels said pawn moves backward one square and one level upward or downward.